A vaccine for hand, foot, and mouth disease has been found.

Chinese scientists have announced the first vaccine designed to protect children against hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease causes infected individuals to develop painful rashes and, in some cases, can lead to brain infection, which can be fatal.

A trial involving 10,000 children, published in The Lancet, indicated that the new vaccine could be up to 90% effective against one type of virus that causes the disease. However, it could not protect against other types of viruses that cause the illness.

Viruses can cause outbreaks of hand, foot, and mouth disease. In 2009, a major outbreak occurred in China, affecting 1.2 million people. Nearly 14,000 people suffered serious complications and 353 died.

A team of researchers in Jiangsu province and Beijing tested a vaccine made from inactivated enterovirus 71 (EV71), which causes the disease. The vaccine was tested on children aged 6-35 months and was effective in preventing 90% of cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by EV71.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is caused by many different viruses, such as Coxsackie A16 and even other strains of EV71, so this vaccine cannot eliminate the entire disease.

According to Hanoi Moi - TH